


Thanking You

by ApolloLoki97



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Episode: s09e16 The Storm, Gen, Season 9, Uncle Negan, twd, walking dead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:29:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25920616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApolloLoki97/pseuds/ApolloLoki97
Summary: After saving Judith from the blizzard, Negan is injured and after Siddiq fixes him up, Judith pays Negan a visit to thank him for saving her and even asks him to tell her stories of her brother and her dad.----Judith and Negan talk after he saves her.
Relationships: Judith Grimes & Negan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	Thanking You

**Author's Note:**

> this is also posted on my tumblr: walkerwords

The blizzard raged on as the members of Alexandria curled up by the roaring fire. 

In the room across the house, a doctor checked on his patient. Siddiq cleaned and stitched up Negan’s leg, trying to be gentle as possible. Negan, however, didn’t seem to be bothered by the pulling and tugging of the needle as Siddiq put him back together. He had had worse in the past.

His eyes were on the ceiling as the doctor worked, trying not to think about how close he had come to losing her. Every time Negan shut his eyes he saw images of a frozen Judith Grimes, her lips blue, and her eyelashes coated in frost. He kept having to remind himself that she was safe, she was warm, and she was alive.

The past six years, all Negan could think about was keeping Judith safe. He couldn’t keep Carl away from the horrors of the new world, but he was going to make damn sure Judith Grimes would see the years well beyond her parents. He knew it wasn’t his job, but there was something about that kid that made him want to be a better man. It wasn’t even a question if he would die for her. Negan would lay down his life to make sure Judith Grimes lived and tonight he had done just that when he rushed into the blinding white snow to save her.

“That will have to do for tonight,” Siddiq whispered as he finished tying off the bandage. “I got the bleeding to stop, but we’ll need to get you to the infirmary tomorrow to properly take care of it.” In the soft light of the candles in Negan’s makeshift hospital room, Siddiq looked exhausted. Negan knew that the doctor had seen some horrendous things when Alpha had taken their people at the fair and he wondered if when Siddiq closed his eyes, he saw horrors as well. 

“Thanks, Doc,” Negan said softly. Siddiq nodded to him, patting his leg slightly before grabbing his things and headed to the door, leaving Negan to get some sleep. 

“Try not to move or you’ll rip the stitches,” Siddiq said as he turned the doorknob. Negan just nodded to him and went back to watching the shadows that danced on the ceiling. 

Siddiq pushed quietly into the hallway and gently closed the door behind him. As he headed to the kitchen to clean up his tools, he ran into a small form as they snuck around the corner.

Judith Grimes, wrapped in a large blanket, looked up at him with her large brown eyes. In her hands was a small flashlight. Siddiq gave her a small smile and then nodded his head back towards where he came. Judith mirrored his expression and continued on her way towards Negan.

Siddiq saw what everybody else saw: Negan cared about Judith. Nobody could say he didn’t after tonight. He was the villain in everyone’s story but hers and Siddiq knew that if something were to happen to Negan, it would be like losing Rick all over again for Judith and god help anyone who put her in danger for Negan would not sleep until they were six feet under. 

* * *

Bundled up in her warm blanket, Judith pushed open the door of Negan’s room and stepped inside. 

“You should be sleeping, Miss Grimes,” Negan said, turning his head to look at the young girl. Judith shut the door and went over to his bedside, clicking off the flashlight. 

“How are you feeling?” Judith asked, examining the large bandage that covered his leg. 

“Much better,” he said with a small smile. “Where’s the mutt?” He asked, noticing the lack of Daryl’s furry companion.

“He’s keeping RJ warm,” Judith explained as she walked around to the other side of the bed and crawled up onto the quilt, folding her legs underneath her. Negan shifted so he could sit up a bit better and give her his full attention. 

“You warm enough now?” He asked, looking her over for any signs of shivering or frostbite. 

“Siddiq said I’ll be okay,” she told him, her hands fiddling with the threads on her blanket. “Thank you for saving me,” she said and Negan’s heart nearly melted at the sight of her as she looked at him with gratitude. Negan reached out and tapped her red nose. 

“I don’t want the world losin’ any more Grimes,” he admitted and Judith nodded, dropping her head slightly. 

“You remember him better,” Judith whispered, “my brother.” Judith looked up at Negan and pulled her knees up to her chin, resting her head and watching him. “Can you tell me something about him?” 

“About Carl?” Negan asked and Judith nodded. Negan thought about it for a moment before deciding on a particular memory. “Did your mom ever tell you about the time your big brother stormed the Sanctuary all by himself?” Judith nodded.

“Well, let me tell you something that she may not have known,” Negan said, “your brother, no matter what I threw at him, never once flinched. Carl wasn’t scared of anything and I have a feelin’ that was all because of how your other momma and your dad raised him. He was…” Negan trailed off, trying to find the right words, “Carl was everything I wish my own kid could have been if I had been a dad,” he admitted. 

“Because he wasn’t scared?” Judith asked. 

“No,” Negan corrected, “not because he wasn’t scared. There is nothing wrong with being scared, Judith,” he assured her. “Carl was someone who saw the good in people when they didn’t deserve it and he never backed down when things got rough. Much like you,” he said. 

“I’m not brave like Carl was,” Judith said quietly. 

“Are you kidding me? When you heard Dog crying, you didn’t even hesitate, Judith,” Negan told her. “You went right out into the storm to save him. To me, that is the definition of brave, kiddo.”

“Mom will say it was reckless,” Judith said with a frown. Negan chuckled, reaching over to grip one of her hands. Judith’s eyes met his. 

“Recklessness is a family trait so your mom will understand that,” he said with a wink. Judith gave him a small smile and he let go of her hand. Judith didn’t talk about her big brother as often anymore. She had when she was younger, but not so much recently. 

“I miss him,” she said. 

“I do too, kiddo,” Negan admitted, “I’m sorry you lost him.” Judith sighed, stretching out her legs. 

“I remember that day, you know,” she said. 

“What day?” Negan asked, confused. 

“It’s only flashes, but I remember when you and Carl were in the house and you picked me up,” she said. Negan was surprised that she could remember something that happened so long ago. “I have a fuzzy memory of sitting on your lap on the porch. That was when you brought Carl home from the Sanctuary, right? Mom told me she and Dad weren’t home that day.”

“I can’t believe you remember that,” Negan said, running a hand over his face. “You were so little.” Judith shrugged. 

“I remember a lot of things.”

“Do you remember anything else about that day?” Negan asked carefully. Judith was quiet for a bit and Negan thought she had fallen asleep, but then she lifted her eyes to him again. 

“Father Gabriel told me when I asked him a couple of years ago,” she said. “He told me about what happened right before my Dad got back.” Negan let out a breath, letting his head fall back to the pillows. 

“Shit,” he swore under his breath. Judith didn’t scold him for his language this time. “You knew all of that and yet you still talk to me. Why? Why aren’t you afraid of me?” Judith pursed her lips, shrugging again. “Come on, I know you. You have an answer for everything.”

“Dad believed you could change,” Judith told him, “Mom tells me all the time that Carl did too. I know a lot of people hate you, but I don’t. You did bad things, but you’re not a monster.”

“So you don’t hate me?” Judith shook her head. 

“No,” she said softly, “I don’t and I never want to. I don’t want to die hating people.” Negan’s brow furrowed. 

“What’s all this talk about dying, kid? You’re not dying until your hair is white as snow and you’ve had all kinds of adventures and you’re definitely not dying while I’m still kickin’, not on my watch,” he told her sternly. Judith watched the candle flames for a little bit as she and Negan listened to the storm outside. 

He didn’t like hearing her talk about dying and all that melancholy “what ifs?” It didn’t sit well with him. When she spoke again, there was pure curiosity in her voice. 

“Why did you really come back?” She asked. 

“Where else did I have to go?” He asked her. “I gotta be here when you go off and be a hero. Who else is going to tell your stories?” That got a small smile out of the young girl. 

“I’m glad you came home,” she said and the word “home” made Negan’s heart stutter. For so long he only thought about the walls of Alexandria as his prison, his purgatory, but now, perhaps Judith was right. In some strange way, the community he once set ablaze had become his home. 

“Me too,” he whispered. Judith shifted then, laying down on her stomach and resting her head in her hands. Wrapped up in her wool cocoon she looked even smaller than usual. More fragile. 

“Can you tell me a story about my Dad?” Judith asked as she sank down in the warm quilts beneath her. Negan chewed on the inside of his cheek for a minute before answering. 

“Anything in particular?” Judith shook her head. “Hmm, okay, how about this one? Your dad, alongside the King, and your aunt Maggie, did the impossible when they decided to go up against me and my people,” he began. “I had never seen anything like it. Rick rallied all these people from here all the way to Oceanside for a single cause.”

Judith listened intently as Negan spoke of Rick, drinking in every word. “These people were practically strangers, you see,” he went on, “but your dad didn’t see the differences or the challenges they could face. He just saw the possibility of a future. A future where you and your brother could grow up safe and out of harm’s way from everyone, not just me or the Walkers. Rick believed in a brighter future, one I think is starting to come true.”

“What do you think he would do about the Whisperers?” Judith asked.

“I think that your Dad would have done a lot of what your mom and your uncle Daryl have done,” Negan said honestly. “I think he would have tried to talk to Alpha and resolve things as calmly as possible and I think he would have kept Lydia as safe as he could just as Daryl is doing.”

“And if that didn’t work?” Judith asked, kicking her feet up. 

“Oh, well, then your dad would have blown something up and started doing that thing where he stands with his hands on his hips and says something like ‘I’m gonna kill you, but I won’t like it very much,’” Negan said with a thick southern accent that caused Judith to giggle. 

“He didn’t sound like that,” she argued with a smile. 

“He did to me,” Negan said, “Couldn’t understand half the things that came out of his mouth.” Judith laughed again as Negan winked at her. “Your dad was a true leader, Judith,” he said, now more serious, “Just like your mom, and just like you’ll be someday.”

“I don’t want to lead,” Judith revealed. “I don’t want people to have to count on me. I’ll mess it up.” Negan shook his head. 

“That’s not true, kiddo, you are going to be a great leader. You’ll have help so don’t think you’re going to go at it alone. You’ll lead with honor,” Negan decided, “Just don’t be like me,” he finished with a wink.

“Oh, no, we wouldn’t want that,” Judith quipped.

“Wow, okay,” Negan said, “Now I see it, you’re just like your big brother. You’re both smartasses.” Judith laughed again, grateful to be compared once again to Carl. Ever since she had been old enough to realize what had happened to him, she had tried to wear his hat with honor and live up to his expectations.

The two of them sat in silence in the warm room as they listened to the wind. After the night they had, it was enough to just do nothing and find comfort in each other’s company. However, after a while. Judith got curious again.

“Do you think we’ll win the war?” she asked him, scooting closer so she could see his face better. Negan shrugged.

“I don’t know, Judith,” he answered honestly, “you won the last one.” 

“We had Dad last time and aunt Maggie, and better weapons,” she pointed out. 

“True, but the tools don’t really matter,” he explained, “and yeah, you may not have them, but you have your Uncle Daryl, your mom, Father Gabriel, Aaron, Eugene, and even that crazy girl with the new baby.”

“Rosita?” Judith asked, amused.

“Right, her,” Negan said, “she scares me.”

“You killed her boyfriend,” Judith reminded him. 

“True,” Negan said with another shrug. Judith rolled her eyes and Negan couldn’t help but grin. She looked so much like Rick when she did that. 

“I miss Maggie,” Judith said with a sigh. 

“I know you do,” Negan said, “and that’s okay. You’re allowed to miss people, kid.” 

“Do you miss people?” 

“I do,” he told her, “I miss a lot of people. I’ll tell you about them someday.” Judith nodded. This was something Negan was used to when it came to Judith, the questions. She would always go to him with her curiosities because she knew that he would always tell her the truth no matter what. It was what made their bond so strong and why Negan enjoyed talking with the little Grimes. 

“I’m worried about RJ,” she said. “I’m scared I won’t be able to keep him safe.”

“Judith, look around,” Negan said, “everyone in this place is looking out for him. Hilltop and Kingdom too. Don’t you worry about RJ, he’s going to be just fine. Everyone has got his back.”

“Even you?”

“Sure, if he needs it,” Negan said with a nod. “Though I think your mom would prefer if I stayed away.”

“He thinks you’re funny,” Judith revealed. 

“Of course he does, I’m hilarious,” Negan grinned. 

“And annoying,” Judith remarked. 

“Wow, that hurts, kid, truly,” Negan said. 

“Must be that family trait,” Judith said and Negan couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. Suddenly, the wind shook the house violently and Judith jumped, clinging to Negan’s arm. Negan pulled her close, squeezing her shoulder. 

“It’s just the wind, kid,” he assured her. “There are scarier things out there than bad weather.”

“Like the skins?” Judith asked, her voice very small and Negan realized she may be a bit more worried than she had initially lead on. 

“Or,” Negan offered, “When your Uncle Daryl hasn’t showered for a while.” Judith looked up at him with a small smile. “I know I could make that happen.” 

“You’re mean to him,” Judith pointed out. 

“Yeah, well, he’s mean to me too.” Judith settled into his side, but her eyes kept flicking back to the door. “They’ll be home soon, your mom and the others,” he assured her, “but you should get some sleep before they do.”

“I can’t, I’ll have nightmares,” Judith admitted. 

“Nightmares are normal, kid,” said Negan, “we all get them. Hell, living in this world, I’d be concerned if you didn’t. Go on, get some rest, give your little brother a hug.” Judith sighed but did as she told. She reached over and wrapped her arms around Negan’s neck, leaning her head on his chest. 

“Thank you again,” she said softly. Negan gripped her back tight. 

“It’s gonna be okay, Judith,” he said, “I don’t know when, but it will be.” Judith nodded against him and then pulled back. Hopping off the bed, she picked up her flashlight and headed to the door. Before she turned the knob, she looked back at him once more. 

“By the way,” Judith said, “you’re not dying either, not on my watch.” Judith gave him another smile before slipping out of the room and heading back to RJ.

Back in the silence of his room, Negan chuckled and then wiped at the single tear that flowed down his face. Looking towards the heavens that were just beyond the timber and nails above him, he smiled. “Hell of a little lady you got there Grimes. You watch, she’s gonna change this world.”

As Negan drifted off into his dreams, his mind was no longer plagued with a frozen Judith Grimes, but one that brought warmth with those big brown eyes of hers and that young spirit that one day would not only change the world but lead it and Negan prayed he’d be there to see it.


End file.
